Chapter 2

The front door opened close to midnight.

Jess waltzed in, humming.

"God, I'm starving," she said, dropping her purse. "What did you make? Smells good, even after all this time."

She expected me to have kept it warm, to serve her.

Like always.

I pointed to the fridge. "There's leftover pasta from last night."

She stopped, finally noticing my tone. "What's with you? Still moody about the dinner? I told you, it was a massive work crisis."

"I saw Ethan's Instagram," I said, my voice quiet.

Her face changed. The casual confidence flickered.

"What are you talking about? Are you spying on my intern now? That' s a little controlling, Mike."

"Helping him set up his new loft looked pretty demanding," I replied, keeping my gaze steady.

"Oh, that?" She waved a dismissive hand. "He was panicking about his housewarming tomorrow. I just gave him a few pointers after I left the office. You know how these young guys are, clueless about decor."

She completely missed the ring glinting on the coffee table.

She didn' t see the half-packed suitcase I' d started in the hall, hidden by the coat rack.

"You' re making a big deal out of nothing," she continued, her voice rising. "You don't understand the pressures of my career. It's not like your academic world, Mike. We have to network, build relationships."

"Relationships with interns in their new lofts at 10 PM?"

"Don't be like that," she snapped. "You're being unreasonable." She yawned. "I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed."

She walked past the coffee table, past the suitcase, without a second glance.

I watched her go.

Unreasonable.

I remembered her talking about our wedding, our future, the house we' d buy.

She used to dream about those things.

Or maybe she just dreamed about the idea of them.

My decision hardened.

Zurich.

A new life.

Without her.